Plans?We Don't Need No Stinkin' Plans! Dorky Disboutiquing Diser Sista UPDATED! 9/13

[teresajoy]

Trip Report 2009 Part one,


The rather boring part, read at your own risk.......................

Should I introduce ourselves again?? Or, should I make you go back and read my old trip report??? Hmm, questions, questions!!!

Ok, I'll be nice

This is me,

Teresa, or Teresajoy as I go by on the Dis.




My sister, Heathersue will tell you that Teresajoy is not my name
ignore her, she's just a pesky little sister.


(It's a DESCRIPTION Heather


Stop laughing..)


I love Disney, LOVE it, a lot! As a child, we went to Disney EVERY year!!!










for one day


But, hey, there was only one park for quite awhile!


I am a naturally quiet person, who is very opinionated. It makes for some great internal conflict! Unfortunately, as I am getting older, the quiet part gets beaten out by the opinionated, "I-must-be-right-at-all-times-part"


Thankfully, I am almost always right


*ahem*


I love to sew, and like to make outfits for the girls for our trips. I am a member of the Disboutiquers here on the dis


Hi Guys!!


Yeah, like there is anyone else reading!



Oh yeah, I turned 40 in April, it's really not a big deal. I don't mind myself getting older, it's my kids I don't like getting older!


I should also mention that I am a Jehovah's Witness and do not celebrate holiday's or birthdays, but my husband is Catholic and he does (oh what a fun courtship WE had!! LOL!) Therefore, there will be birthday pictures in this TR, but I was not participating in the celebrations even though I may be in the pictures. Clear as mud?



My husband, Brian, aged 49.

We have been married almost 21 years.

And, in this next picture, if you look in the back row there, you will see a lady holding a baby, the lady next to her in the plaid dress, that is the Diser UPDisney! Vicki.

Brian went to college with her and her husband Chuck, who is next to Vicki in the picture. We discovered each other on accident one day on the Dis! She was from Michigan, I was from Michigan, oh where do you live? My husband went to college up there...and from there we discovered we knew each other!

Brian tried for many years to pretend he didn't love Disney, but I always knew better. And, now he just freely admits it, he loves it too.
Not Diser kind of love,
but the
"We-need-to-go-every-year" kind of love, which is good enough for me!
He is also a rather quiet person and doesn't say much. He has a great sense of humor, he often makes jokes in such a dry manner that people don't know if he is kidding or not. I generally find him funny, unless I can't tell if he's joking.

Corey, 16, almost 17, our first born, my only boy, my little baby, my little smookemwookems, little booger boy!

You know, the one who went to the Prom the week before we left for vacation and DIDN'T tell me he was going with a girl?? (not a girlfriend, just a girl friend from what I can get out of him)

NO! That's not his date, that's Lydia!

Yeah, that's him.
Cute, isn't' he!
He made that tie himself, out of duct tape!

The other day, I was explaining to him how when I asked him
"Are you going to the Prom because that girl you were just chatting with for 2 hours on Facebook wants you to go?
Instead of saying, 'No.' you should have just said, "yes."
His reply to that?
"Well, that just seems so SIMPLE now!"
Yeah, I love that kid!
Corey is also a quiet person, unless he's yelling at his little sisters.
He is often times the only one that gets my jokes. So, I think he has a most WONDERFUL sense of humor!

Arminda my first baby girl, she turned 11 on this trip.

Arminda was born after we had Quinn and Gavin, my babies that didn't make it to breathe their first breaths. We truly didn't think we would be able to have another baby and thought we would lose her while I was pregnant. (Just typing that almost breaks my heart.)




Unlike the rest of us,


She is NOT quiet!


Brian and I have no clue where her talkativeness comes from,
although I suspect his sister, Amy.
(Brian is Catholic, he has many sisters)
She once talked the ENTIRE 19 hour drive home from Florida.


Seriously


the


ENTIRE


time!


It was a loooooong ride.



She is sweet and kind and giving. She wears her heart on her sleeve and her feelings are easily hurt.
She is just finishing up 5th grade, and unfortunately this is not the best of times for a sweet little girl like Arminda.


Girls are such meany butts at this age!
She seems to be getting through it all very well and isn't growing up as fast as the other little girls her age I see. Just the other day at the 5th Grade Mother Daughter Tea, I was shocked at how some of the little girls were dressed! Heals, short skirts, makeup..
they just didn't look like "little" girls the way they should.
It made me sad. They will be grown up soon enough, don't let them get there too fast!

Um, where was I??? Oh yes, Arminda. Heart of gold that she wears on her sleeve...

Then, there is my baby,

OK OK ! so I've called them ALL my baby, but Lydia Rose, or Lyddie as I often call her, is really my baby, she turned 6 in December.
She was our little surprise.
I like surprises, thank goodness!
She was like a little gift out of the blue!
We also thought we might lose her while I was pregnant (more info on that in my "sort of a trip report link").
It seems that these girls were already worrying us more than their big brother even before they were born!
Lydia, is a different child (and I mean that in a very good way)!
She is shy, and quiet,
but
can be
VERY noisy!
She can be sweet and well behaved

and she can be


VERY
VERY
naughty!

She is something else, and always keeps me on my toes!
I think it is the red hair, and the curls.


"There was a little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead,
and when she was good,
she was very very good,
but when she was bad,
she was horrid!"

Yeah, that's Lydia! Thankfully, she is usually very very good!
My Mom use to say that little poem about my sister too!
Her teacher doesn't believe me when I tell her what a stinker she is! Earlier this year, Lydia was sick, so I had to keep her home from school.
Well, that did not go over well with Lydia, so for the entire day (most of which was spent in her room because of this) she S C R E A M E D


"TAKE ME TO SCHOOL!!!
TAKE ME TO SCHOOOOOL NOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


yeah an odd one, at least she loves school.


But, she also freely shares anything she has with just about anyone, and often comes up and gives me hugs and kisses and tells me how much she loves me. She is really a little sweet heart,
with the temper of a wolverine.

And, last but not least, we have these two:


Foster Tarp,

3 years old, likes adventure.


He has been lost twice, once for a week and once for three months (read about the last one in my last trip report). He has become a very friendly cat and needs to be around people. He is extremely intelligent. He recently opened up an account on Facebook.

Foxie (Firefox3Beta5 Kitty) almost one.

We got Foxie during the three months Foster was missing last year. We rescued him from the local shelter. He was just a few weeks old when we got him. I don't know what might have happened to him in those few weeks before we got him, but it seemed to have quite the affect on him. He is a skittish cat. Scared of his own shadow. He had just started letting us pick him up and will now come up to us to be petted.

If you click on these links it will take you directly to the posts. If you want to get back to the main chit chatty thread, you just click on the link at the top right hand side of the screen that says "Thread: Plans? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Plans (it took me awhile to figure that out, so I thought I'd share!)

Part One: Tickets
Part Two: We are on our Way!!! Sort of...
Part Three: To The Airport!
Part Four: A Very Short Update for a Very Long Drive
Part Five: A Great Disney Area Restaurant!and I start taking pictures
Part Six: We Discover the WONDERS of TIMESHARE!
Part Seven: Some Pop at Pop, some laundry, some shopping, some fishing

 

[teresajoy]

This was to be a rather scaled back Disney trip, after the BIG trip we had last year. I had tickets leftover from a previous trip, so we'd be using them. There were three days left on the tickets and we had one ticket with more days on it, either Arminda's or Lydia's, I didn't remember which. I was complaining one day on the Disboutiquers thread (two of my favorite things...) about how I wouldn't be able to tell how many days I had left on each ticket until AFTER I got to Disney. Well, my dear friend, Cindee (AKA: Morgan's Mom, Jord's Grandma) told me that I could CALL and they would tell me!!! YIPPEE!!!


So, I gave Disney a call, with my tickets in hand.

The lady that answered the phone was so nice and helpful!


The only problem is what she told me!!!



Other than the child ticket, which had 7 days left (plus water parks) we had ONE ticket that had ONE park day on it!!! UGGH!
SOOO... Our vacation would be slightly more scaled back than we first thought!


For this reason, I was really not excited about making any new outfits for our trip, and I ended up not really making anything. I know, I know, I'm ashamed.....




If anyone read my last trip report, you will probably remember that we had a less than magical experience at the BBB (Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique) last year. If you didn't read, it I'll recap: Lydia had a WONDERFUL, magical, sweet-beyond words FGIT (Fairy Godmother In Training)!!!



The other 4 girls, had the exact opposite! They did not talk, they did not smile. Tessa wanted to know what she did wrong to make her FGIT not like her and Arminda told me later, "My FGIT was not very nice to me." This was something that I had so looked forward to doing with all 5 of the girls (my two daughters and my 3 nieces). I don't get to do much for them, so I saved up my money so I could treat them all. After the BBB, I thought we might still get some magic at the photoshoot. Uggh, what a nightmare that was. The photographers were mean, and rough and they took awful pictures. They made rude comments about other guests even. Heather got so upset with them she had to leave. My Dad even commented on how rude they were (and he doesn't usually do things like that). It was bad.


Well, anyway, before we left I had reported our experience to the manager of BBB and she took my name and info and said someone would be in contact with me.


After waiting about 9 months, I figured no one was really going to contact me, so I typed up a 5 page single spaced letter of our experience and mailed it to Disney. A few weeks later, I received a message from Disney Guest Relations on my answering machine. I called back, the CM was not in, she called me, I wansn't home, I called her, she wasn't in, she called me and YIPPEE I was home!


We chatted for a little bit, and she told me she got my letter and that she had forwarded it to BBB to let them know what had happened. She also made several excuses for the FGITs. She told me that sometimes the personality of the girls and the FGITs don't go together and the FGIT has a hard time getting the girls to open up. I told her how that wasn't the problem, it was the FGITs who would not open up, the girls tried chatting with them.


The CM didn't really respond to that. She did tell me that if I sent her my receipt from the BBB and copies of the fronts and backs of our tickets, she would try to send us replacement tickets and a redo of the BBB at the castle. She kept saying, "It's not like this ruined your whole day though." Well, to be honest, it really put a damper on a BIG chunk of it!


I told the CM that I was not comfortable going back to the castle, but she insisted that was where I would have to go. She also said, "It is very likely that you will not have a FGIT as wonderful as your daughter's (Lydia's, the one that was wonderful). Just because you are redoing it, we can't promise you will have a good experience."



Hmm, THAT was odd!


Now, our tickets last year had expired, so I was very surprised when I found the tickets. I then scanned them and faxed them to her. Heather also found pictures of hers and I sent them too. I didn't have my BBB, so the CM had told me that a copy of my credit card receipt would be fine, so I sent that instead.


A few weeks later, I received another call from the CM. She had received my information. However, she told me, they would not be able to send tickets for everyone, because our day had not been ruined. She was going to send 9 tickets, a ticket for each girl and an adult to accompany them. She also mentioned that I had not sent in the receipt for BBB, only the CC statement.


Ok, a little math:



5 Girls + 5 Adults= 9???


But, I was tired of the whole thing and just wanted it to be done with, it was emotionally draining for me to have to recount the whole ordeal, so I didn't say anything about that. She was also sending me Gift Cards, to cover the cost of the BBB. BUT, and she made a big point of stating this several times, they would NOT reimburse me for the tax I had paid. THAT annoyed me, more that she made a special point of it than anything. She also kept saying again how our day hadn't been ruined, and that this should make everything better. Not ONCE did the CM apologize for how the girls had been treated. She didn't seem to understand that I would have been much happier to have just had the experience we paid for when we were at BBB, instead of getting the gift cards and the tickets for the bad experience. I don't know, the whole thing just left me feeling a little down.


Heather, my sweet sister, told me to keep the tickets and use them so our family could have more days in the park. Along with two tickets we were getting through the vacation package we had booked (a timeshare tour thing) we would have enough for three park days! And, if they tickets were hoppers, we could do all the parks! So, our one Park Day was now looking more like two or three!


I wasn't really confident that the CM would really come through though, so I still didn't make any customs! I did however alter a few of the ones from last year. And, my friend, Stephanie (Stephres) had sent us a bunch of Megan's outgrown Disney clothes, so we weren't going compltely customless!


After getting our room, airfare, rental car, and park tickets, I had to find someplace to leave our cats, my little baby kitties.
Brian and I asked just about everyone we could think of.
Strangely, no one wanted to watch our cats. I even asked a lady at Walmart one day...


I finally started looking into kennels for them. We have a few cat only kennels around and I called them.
They were pricey,
very pricey,
and they wouldn't have much room, but I thought it might be my only choice.


I called one kennel and asked if they took cats, and the idiot man told me,
"Yep, we take cats and we put them in the cage with a big dog and see if they make it out."
Seriously, what a jerk!


Finally my Mom told me I could leave the cats at her house. The only problem was that they were going on an Alaskan cruise for part of the time. So, I asked my sister-in-law, Barbara if she would come out to feed them once a day. She agreed, and Heather told me she would bring Tessa over to see them while we were gone.

One last detail I needed to take care of was where we would leave our car while we were gone. I had planned on getting a hotel that offered the stay and park feature. So, I asked my Sister-in-law, Denise, if she knew of a Marriot (she works for Marriot) that offered a plan like that. She told us that we could just stay the night at her house and leave our van there while we were gone. I asked her if she was sure, because we would also need to get picked up after our trip. She agreed. So, that was another thing I didn't have to worry about.

Brian's sister, who is a nun in California, (hereby referred to as Sr.SIL, because I just call her by her given first name and I don't think she'd like me to do that on a public forum and I don't like to use her nun name) was planning to come for her every 3 year visit while we were gone. She would be here for about a week after we got back though. While I was chatting with her on Facebook one day, she mentioned that she and her parents, and Denise (the sister-in-law who's house we were staying at) were taking a trip together while she was here. I told her that Denise would have to be back by Saturday night to pick us up. She didn't think that was going to happen.

I sent an email to my sister-in-law to remind her that she needed to pick us up at the airport. She called me on the phone and told me that she had solved the problem. She made us a reservation at a hotel near the airport. We would have to pay for it of course. There was a shuttle from the airport to the hotel and she would bring our van the day after we got in. She told us there were lots of restaurants around the hotel we could walk to for breakfast, or we could take the train into downtown. (I had promised the girls a trip to the American Girl Place in Chicago).

A few days later, Brian was at his parents house and they told him that they were no longer going on the trip. For one thing, Sr.SIL, couldn't get permission to go where they had planned. So, we were good to go again with a ride home from the airport.

Of course, after that, Sr.SIL messaged me on Facebook and told me that they were now planning a trip to Mackinaw, but Denise had made sure she would be back to pick us up. Sr.SIL, asked what time our plane would get in and told me not to worry, we would be picked up. (confused yet?)

Ok, so it broke down like this, so far....
1.)Denise offers to pick us up at the airport
2.)Denise gets a better offer and changes plans and makes us a reservation for a hotel (that we pay for)
3.)Denise's better plans get cancelled, she's picking us up at the airport again
4.)Denise's better plans are back on, but she is going to be home in time to pick us up at the airport
5.)????????????????

 

[disneymommieof2]

I'm still with ya!
~ I can't believe your starting with a cliff hanger for the end of the trip at before you even leave for the trip! Will they or won't they get picked up from the airport????
~ I'm so sorry you had to go through all that again with the BBB and the photographer ordeal! You should have told that CM it DID ruin more then a the whole day!! And you have the looks on the poor girls faces in their "professional" photo shoot to prove it!! You should have let her talk to one of the girls I bet they can still recount the tale of the mean FGIT!! (Not that you would put her through that!!)
~ I am glad you got to go to WDW for more than 1 day though!!
~ I love lyddies New Giselle dress!!

Can't wait to hear more about this years adventure!!

 

[teresajoy]

Anna, I had a feeling you would be the first one to find my TR!!! Sorry about the cliffhanger! Imagine how I felt at the time though! I don't plan a lot of the actual trip details (which park which day, which ride first, etc...) but I do like to have the basics all set and taken care of before we leave! Can we say STRESSED!!!!

I would have posted the next part last night, but I couldn't get my pictures to work, and I was too tired to work on them! Sometimes I love Picasaweb for pictures, sometimes not so much!

 

[revrob]

WOW! What an ordeal with that whole BBB thing!

could you please pass a message along to Foster Tarp for me? I'm waiting for my friend approval! I know you don't know me personally, but I HAVE to be in the in crowd, so please approve my request! Thank you so much!

 

[teresajoy]

Anna, that's the same Giselle dress from last year, but with different flowers on it. I realized it was getting too small for her aftrer we took those pictures. I told her we'd need to give the dress to Tessa and she started cryging! So, now I have to make her another one. It's hard to find the right fabric though!

 

[snubie]

You have a beautiful family. Not that you want to hear this but Corey will break hearts some day soon.

So sorry that the BBB resolution was not so smooth or to your satisfaction.

 

[teresajoy]

WOW! What an ordeal with that whole BBB thing!

could you please pass a message along to Foster Tarp for me? I'm waiting for my friend approval! I know you don't know me personally, but I HAVE to be in the in crowd, so please approve my request! Thank you so much!

I hate to sound too whiney, but the whole BBB thing was just such a Disney Downer!

I will speak with Foster Tarp about the friend request!

 

[Stephres]

Man, I had no idea the trouble you went through with the BBB! I mean, I knew from your trip report but had no idea they were still giving you trouble afterward. And they don't guarantee that the girls will have a good time? What customer service!

Glad Megan's customs came in handy!

 

[teresajoy]

You have a beautiful family. Not that you want to hear this but Corey will break hearts some day soon.

So sorry that the BBB resolution was not so smooth or to your satisfaction.

You know, it's like he just all of a sudden turned into this young man instead of my little boy! WHEN did that happen?? HOW??

Man, I had no idea the trouble you went through with the BBB! I mean, I knew from your trip report but had no idea they were still giving you trouble afterward. And they don't guarantee that the girls will have a good time? What customer service!

Glad Megan's customs came in handy!

Steph, I really can't thank you enough for the customs!!! Lydia loved them so much!!! She didn't want to wear anything else the whole trip!

The CM really seemed to think I was just tring to "get something" more than anything, and to be honest at this point, I wanted monetary compensation! But, more than that I wanted an apology and some sympathy from them! I know what a whiney butt I am!

 

[HeatherSue]

I want that pumpkin coach antenna topper!!!!! That is AWESOME!!

Okay, TeresajoyCE! I won't say anything about how your username is incredibly misleading.

I've never noticed your tendency to always need to be right. I know I certainly don't have that problem.

I love that picture of Brian! He is such a kid at heart! Maybe I can borrow him when I go to Disney! No?

Smookewookems!

I LOVE those before prom pictures!

Such pretty pictures of Arminda!

You had to go and make me cry, didn't you?

Your description of Arminda is spot on. She's such a special little girl!

You are so great at describing your kids!! Lydia's description is perfect too!

So THAT'S what Foxie looks like!

We spent a very large chunk of our day doing the BBB and the photo shoot. So, that lady was crazy saying it didn't really ruin our whole day. No, it didn't actually ruin our days because we have fun no matter what. But, the way they acted was really hurtful.

I can't believe what that guy at the kennel told you about taking cats! I would never even take my dog there after that!

I wanted to keep Teresa's cats in our basement (I'm VERY allergic to cats), but Henry vetoed that idea.

Even I'm confused about the plans to be picked up after Disney! I know how frustrating that whole situation was for you!

 

[minnie2]

Can't wait for more!

Arminda and Nicole would get along so well
Love the pictures!

So did the CM come through?????? I hate that so many had such an awful time at BBB!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Signing on for more! I often say that trip reports and pictures are what keep me sane until our next WDW vacation. Thanks for your contribution to my sanity.

 

[k_reile]

ok...nuns have really become so more modern now!! I was about dying about a nun on facebook...who knew!

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I'm in! And I'm lost...this is why I shouldn't be reading this at work

 

[teresajoy]

hehe, let me try to simplify it a bit:

1.)Denise offers to pick us up at the airport
2.)Denise gets a better offer and changes plans and makes us a reservation for a hotel (that we pay for)
3.)Denise's better plans get cancelled, she's picking us up at the airport again
4.)Denise's better plans are back on, but she is going to be home in time to pick us up at the airport
5.)????????????????

 

[jessica52877]

Well, I started to read this morning and now just getting around to finishing up. I am interested to see how the whole Chicago deal turned out. Although I see you weren't left at the airport!

I hate bad customer service. I am more about the listen to what I am saying and make sure it doesn't happen again and your CM just doesn't really seem to care what you were saying it seems. I am glad you got some tickets. That cost disney nothing and more then likely got you to spend money! Not to mention the $12 it cost to park!

I can't wait to see more pictures, the few in your posts are so pretty. I need palm trees and sunshine and a little sand too!

Glad the cat situation got handled. Hope it went well.

 

[topdog]

I am hook on this TR. I don't even want to pretend I know what FGIT or BBB stand for. But what really fascinate me is you have a SIL who is a nun on Facebook to chat with...

This is going to be more than interesting.

 

[teresajoy]

Signing on for more! I often say that trip reports and pictures are what keep me sane until our next WDW vacation. Thanks for your contribution to my sanity.

Glad I could help!!

Can't wait for more!

Arminda and Nicole would get along so well
Love the pictures!

So did the CM come through?????? I hate that so many had such an awful time at BBB!

I think they would get along too!!
You will just have to keep reading to see what happens!

.

I love that picture of Brian! He is such a kid at heart! Maybe I can borrow him when I go to Disney! No?

You had to go and make me cry, didn't you?


So THAT'S what Foxie looks like!

We spent a very large chunk of our day doing the BBB and the photo shoot. So, that lady was crazy saying it didn't really ruin our whole day. No, it didn't actually ruin our days because we have fun no matter what. But, the way they acted was really hurtful.

I can't believe what that guy at the kennel told you about taking cats! I would never even take my dog there after that!

I wanted to keep Teresa's cats in our basement (I'm VERY allergic to cats), but Henry vetoed that idea.

Even I'm confused about the plans to be picked up after Disney! I know how frustrating that whole situation was for you!

You are so good, you comment on everything I want you too!!!
I just love how excited Brian looks in that picture too!
I thought you'd like those pictures of Arminda.
Sorry to make you cry I was crying too!
I don't like people hurting my nieces and daughter's feelings! and that's what those FGITs did!
I know, I was shocked when the guy at the kennel told me that!
That was so sweet of you to try to talk Henry into keeping the cats in your basement!
Yep, that's what Foxie looks like, well he's a bit bigger now though!
Oh, that whole pick up not picked up picked up... uggh, it was not fun!

ok...nuns have really become so more modern now!! I was about dying about a nun on facebook...who knew!

She is great! I love her! The first time I met her she tried to teach me to do the Hustle!!! She drives too! She wears a full habit though. She is a Carmelite nun, so it's a pretty strict order.

I'm in! And I'm lost...this is why I shouldn't be reading this at work

Sorry Kristine!! Stick with me, hopefully it wil make sense soon!

Well, I started to read this morning and now just getting around to finishing up. I am interested to see how the whole Chicago deal turned out. Although I see you weren't left at the airport!

I hate bad customer service. I am more about the listen to what I am saying and make sure it doesn't happen again and your CM just doesn't really seem to care what you were saying it seems. I am glad you got some tickets. That cost disney nothing and more then likely got you to spend money! Not to mention the $12 it cost to park!

I can't wait to see more pictures, the few in your posts are so pretty. I need palm trees and sunshine and a little sand too!

Glad the cat situation got handled. Hope it went well.

Yes! That is exactly what I'm talking about with the BBB thing! I didn't even think about the parking! I hate that paring fee!

I am hook on this TR. I don't even want to pretend I know what FGIT or BBB stand for. But what really fascinate me is you have a SIL who is a nun on Facebook to chat with...

This is going to be more than interesting.

Aww, thank you!!! BBB= Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and FGIT= Fairy Godmother in Training, the ladies that work at BBB.

 

[karebear1]

Whew!! I finally made it!

Not only is Corey growing up.... but I can't believe how much Arminda is growing! She looks so beautiful in those pics you posted... why, she's turning into a young woman right before my eyes (and WILL insist on wearing nylons and make up before too long.... sorry to say it, but it's true! She'll want to shave her legs anyday now too!! UGH!)

You're lucky Heather is your sister. If it was me, I woulda said I wanted all the tickets for me! ANd she was even willing to sacrifice and put the cats in the basement for you! WOW! that's sisterhood for ya!

keep it coming- can't wait to hear more!!